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Is it time to leave your job?

Secure jobs have been rendered shaky and insubstantial by the uncertainty of the current economic climate. Where once you might have thought that security was a fair exchange for a sense of dissatisfaction, that often no longer applies. Many are questioning whether they want to stay put if there is no longer security. This could be an opportunity to think afresh.

Is it time to leave your job?

Friend and career coach Janice Robertson has written an article on some of the questions to consider.

-do you hate your job or just the boss?
-do you feel like a square peg in a round hole?
-do you have another calling?
-is there a possibility of redundancy?

‘In this day and age it is quite common for people to change career at least once in their working life. It’s an important decision though – one which will affect you and can affect your close family. In order to help you to decide whether this is the right move for you consider these questions:

DO YOU HATE YOUR JOB OR JUST THE BOSS?

It’s important that you make this distinction. If you love what you do and it’s just the boss or even work colleagues that you can’t get along with then changing careers might not be the answer for you. If you are not able to make it work with your boss on your own then seek help through your human resources department, if you have one, or get some coaching on this specific matter. If all else fails then before you take the leap into a different career, look at other employers in the same field or even consider becoming self employed doing the work you love!

DO YOU FEEL LIKE A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE?

There could be many reasons why you feel that you just don’t fit it with your current career.

It could be that there is a conflict between your own personal values and ethics and those of your employer’s.

-The job is more stressful than exciting and you feel burnt-out.

-Your job is no longer challenging – you’ve gone as far as you can – got pretty much all that you can out of it and there are no opportunities for promotion.

-You could be in a job that was chosen by your parents rather than in one aligned with your own true interests or passions.

-You fell into your job without really thinking about your career goals and wonder how you got here!

-What interested you at 21 no longer excites or motivates you.

DO YOU HAVE A CALLING OR ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR YOUR LIFE PURPOSE?

Sometimes, you just have a sense that there is more to life – that there is something you are meant to be or something you are meant to bring to the world. It feels literally like you are being called!

If you feel like this and can’t really explain to yourself why you have this feeling, then have a think about the things in your life that you are drawn to. It could be hobbies, interests, types of people, jobs that catch your eye, areas of study that pull you time and time again.

I believe that our life purpose is about expressing our unique talents and gifts. Do have a need to express yourself in some way?

IS THERE A POSSIBILITY OF REDUNDANCY?

In today’s uncertain climate there is of course the possibility of redundancy. Having myself been through redundancy I am aware that it can be a time of upheaval and also I must stress an opportunity to try something new, something that you’ve always dreamed of doing. Before you take the leap into a new career, find out whether your employer is considering offering redundancy packages – it could just be the cushion you are looking for while you train or look for something you really want to do.

DO YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO CHANGE CAREERS BUT DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO NEXT?

Most of us haven’t thought about what we wanted to do since school – even then people often jump into the first job without really thinking about long term career goals or what really matters to them about work.

If you have decided that you really do want to change careers but don’t know what you want to do next then consider getting some career counselling or coaching to help you to discover a new career aligned with your true interests, passions, values and life purpose.’ (Janice Robertson)

One way of moving forward is to use my structured career coaching package, to help you move from no clue to an action plan in twelve sessions. I guarantee you will end the process having much more clarity. Click here – career coaching – for more information – and then contact me to set up a time to chat further.

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1 thought on “Is it time to leave your job?”

Hi Rosalyn,
I am currently in the process of getting out of my job, switching it for a part-time work and study. I probably fit in the “found her calling” category. Yes, I do feel there is more to life than this. Plus I hate my boss :-].
I feel that my decision is the right one even if people keep telling me how good I am at my job and that I should think twice.

The fact is I am rather undervalued by my employer, not just financially but on the human level as well. And to think that I work with people and art…I would have never thought such atmosphere to be possible in one of the leading national institutions in my country.